unfortunately walter, the gravy train will continue until the country is completely destroyed. people living off other people's efforts cannot change and will continue to do as they have until there is nothing left.

only then will there truly be change. then it will be too late.

just look at russia. they kept their economic model until there was a total collapse even though they could clearly see that it wasn't working.

OH YES eevery one is getting desperate I got my liittle widows Penison in the mail Yesterday. I couldnt beleiveGa needs money so bad the cant wait for me to file my taxes ,so they aretaking out taxes of 4.69 a month.May be they think I mightPass away and they want get it.

Frank, there is good journalism in the HG & PCJR. You are not only entitled, YOU have a RIGHT to read these quality news sources.Your lack of comprehension can be attributed to your 5th. grade education.
I suppose your advanced schooling doesn't qualify you to understand the complexities of "good journalism". You must wean yourself from that Barnesville Brand X rag and that other pitiful online newspaper in Pike County. They are mind numbing. Do you read and contribute to the Pike Pole Cat too? Thought so.

While I agree SOME to the point of entitlement being costly, I do NOT think that entitlement alone will destroy this country. Greed will.

Entitlement is an often misused term, typically abused politically in this country by those who've benefited for generations as the laws have always been written in their favor, with their best interests in mind. That is not the case for the growing minority of citizens in this country (included in that minority are women of all ethnicities).

I personally have found that people who so freely use entitlement to describe groups of others typically don't believe in the equality of all people (whether it be ethnic, racial, gender, orientation, citizenry status or other divise attribute).

The word entitlement is often used by those who also incorrectly use the term "political correctness" in place of the correct term "respect".

I must admit though that I agree in the details of Mr. Geiger's discussion about the ridiculousness of the prisoner's attitude. That scenario is, in my opinion - and assuming the context of the story is correct, the epitome of entitlement. But he fails miserably in making a point about entitlement when he shifts and makes a comparison of someone who's broken the law (the prisoner) to other's who are going to college (Hope scholarship argument). Someone who's taking from the system and society and giving nothing back, versus someone who's gaining a college education to become a better contributor to society. VERY poor analogy.

My point of view is that of an African American man, born and raised very poor in Pike County in the 70s, who's benefited from government and volunteer assistance, and as a result has become - for the past 20 years - a progressive wage earner (earning between 750k-800k over the past 15 yrs), a tax payer (obviously), and a gainful contributor to society.

I'm sure my perspective is different from Mr. Geiger's, and I know we're discussing opinions here, so neither he nor I are right or wrong. But a different opinion needs to be written for counterbalance and provocation of thought.

jay, i agree with your point and i have no issue with giving someone a hand up.

the problem i have and i can show you countless examples are the people who use the hope scholarship to pay rent. use social security (in the form of ssi and ssdi) to avoid working. and use welfare as a lifestyle choice rather than a temporary bridge over a rough patch in their lives.

i am sure, if i understand you correctly, being a successful african american male, that you can also point to countless examples of the same thing.

the only real solution now is to terminate all of these programs for 2 or 3 generations in order to get people back into the idea of working rather than working the system.

i heard a story this morning at breakfast that i found fascinating.

a local manufacturer is shutting down manufacturing because they can't get the workers to perform as well as their mexican counterparts. can you imagine that? an american worker who can't even produce enough to justify minimum wage.

that is why "entitlement" programs need to end. if they had no other choice, they would be sure that they worked harder than any other person.

as far as using the word "entitlement" in place of equality, again if i get your point, everyone is entitled to earn their own keep. no one is entitled to take money from someone who is working in order to avoid it.

The misuse and abuse of entitlements is GREED and Theft. Three simple steps would eliminate half of the EBT card carriers....."making personal monthly pick up necessary, proof of citizenship mandatory and random drug testing a requirement."

I don't believe that the appropriate response to system abuse (even ones that some considers "entitlement") should be to end the program. Prosecute the offenders, and tighten loopholes. That's basic program management that must occur across the board.

I work in the aviation industry, and there are people who've been in their positions 25-30 years. They've encircled themselves with friends who've been around the same or longer. They're KNOWN slackers, and make 2 to 3 times what their much younger counterparts who all have their Bachelor's degree - a few even have industry certifications and MBAs. NONE (0%) of the long timers even have an undergraduate degree. They work 35 hours per week and bill for 40. The newer guys work 50+ hours per week picking up the slack of the old.

When RIFs (reductions in force - i.e. layoffs take place), it's always the younger underpaid overworked guys who are let go, while the costly and grossly overpaid dinosaurs stay on, get promotions and raises, and continue their schemes of using the next group of young workers.

This I consider entitlement, that's very prevalent in corporate workplaces. And everybody knows it occurs. There are groups of known slackers, always overpaid and underperforming - and they devise an informal scheme to protect each other because they know - as a group - as long as no one infiltrates their circle they can continue to do this.

I have countless friends around Atlanta, some of whom are in positions of leadership at Home Depot corporate, architects at AT&T downtown, in adminstration and IT at Georgia Pacific, and so on. And I've worked for a few Fortune 100 companies over the years and have seen the pattern countless times. I call it "tolerated entitlement". And it's a costly problem.

Again the bigger problem is not this measly entitlement stuff mentioned by the author here, nor the few people who abuse Hope Scholarship funds. They ARE problems, yes. But the bigger problem - by far - which transcends race, ethnicity & religion is GREED. Period!

Don't believe me? Then look at who controls the world's economies. It's the oil giants and OPEC. They have the world at their mercy. It has NOTHING to do with political parties, Democratic or Republican nothing. Most people are FOOLED to believe that they have some sort of advantage or claim to righteousness because of their political affiliation. Underneath the table, ALL parties are subject to the desire of oil giants (and in this country the Federal Reserve).

Oil reached $147 per barrel under a Republican President back in 2008. Under a more liberal Democrat (our current President), it is skyrocketing and will surpass that point WELL before the end of this calendar year. Yet the sad thing is that some of my more conservative colleauges are so stupid and caught up in politics, that they're finding joy in rising oil prices because it's "driving the liberals crazy". Even though his behind is getting shafted with the same high gas prices (oil prices and everything that is impacted by petroleum - which is, well, everything).

jz, just out of curiosity and i'm asking for an honest answer and asking you to be honest with yourself. do you work as hard as you did when you were "new"?

i'm not cutting down what you've said. i just think that you may find under close self examination that you are one of those that have "slacked off" as you've gotten older. i know i have. i don't have near the drive at 50 as i had at 20.

i agree with your statement about greed and also about politics. the only thing worse than a republican is a democrat and vice-versa.

the problem with the government lifestyle enhancements is that they are so misused that people actually think that is the way it's supposed-to be to the point that they don't even see it as misuse. could they be fixed? probably. will anyone have the wherewithal to fix them? very doubtful.

you strike me as a thoughtful person and again i am asking this respectfully and out of curiosity; but, do you give back to the AA community in any way other than taxes?

Actually cousin, I don't care one way or the other. I just like to post random things on the blogs that are off topic or in the minority. Then, I get to see what kinda of wicked smart, intelligent, well-thought out responses you guys can come up with in defense.

But please, feel free to enlighten me on what good journalism is. My fifth grade education is failing me here.

And the honest answer is no - I work harder. I'll tell you why. I have to. I don't work for the same manager as I did when I started 4 yrs ago, and there have been several organizational changes. The evaluation "bar" - if you will - has been raised, so that a threshold is created that workers are compared against. Anyone making below that threshold value - whatever it may be - could be in jeopardy of losing their jobs, if permanent cuts are made.

I'm also a "survivor" of a consolidation of two large airlines into one larger one. The typical occured upon consolidation - reduction of redundant positions, elimination of function, etc. I've seen many good colleagues lose their jobs and, it goes without saying, that this is a tough time to lose a job. And in my division of the company, there is a LOT of competition because of the economy, the supply of highly education and capable people currently unemployed, and a number of other factors. Individually, people would have a very difficult time slacking in my work environment today. But collectively if you have a group of people who protect a system of such, and upper management sees that the work is "getting done" - and no one's upset enough to call it out, then there will be some exceptions to the rule.

In today's economy, which is essentially global in all industries, you can no longer afford to slack - even at 50 (which I'm close to myself). But what companies do continue to like are people with good leadership skills, who can negotiate wins for his team, and sell them as wins to the enterprise. They also continue to place value on being able to hold it together through difficult and stressful workdays and projects with tight deadlines.

To address your second inquiry:

"do you give back to the AA community in any way other than taxes?"

Even though I think I know what you're asking, I don't quite know how to answer. If you're asking if I spend time mentoring or helping out in "community" efforts, then I fail miserably. Those are areas I have committed myself to improve in 2011. As I look at my life in retrospect, I can honestly say that I feel that I'm just now - in my mid-40s - at a point where I feel I've gained enough wisdom through personal successes and failures and life's experiences in general, where I can offer something of real value to those who need a hand up. Problem I find with my "message", most often, is that most people who need to hear it don't particularly care for it. It kind of goes off the beaten path of traditional counsel that many people in my community receive - lots of emphasis on self-improvement, steering clear of anyone who's trouble - including family, setting two levels of goals to start, then a third level over time, etc.

For the past 8-10 yrs I feel my biggest "contribution" has been NOT becoming a stereotypical statistic, NOT being a burden on my family or my neighbors, ensuring that I'm the best parent and spouse that I can be, and spending lots and LOTS of time contributing to the well being of my immediate family (spouse and kids). And it's all paying off tremendously.

I don't have a problem with any of these requirements. Career counseling wouldn't be a bad idea either.

I've found that too often, people who have no obvious physical or mental shortcomings who are habitually dependent on government assistance can benefit from a changed way of thinking - usually beginning with self-respect, and seeing the benefits of setting aside short term pleasures for long term gain.

The best thing society can get from public assitance-ship or "entitlements" (however you want to refer to it) - the best thing we can get in return is someone who eventually contributes gainfully to society. Just my .02.

I am tired of seeing people using food stamps with cell phones up to their ears, manicured nails, gold dangling off of them, wearing nicer clothes than I do but purchasing cigarettes, beer and wine, I am tired of seeing young people (white, black, green yellow or purple) using the "peach card" to buy junk food and candy, people who are on unemployment who were given the opportunity to get schooled but too lazy to do 20 hours of school on the computer each week (while they are collecting unemployment check) only to have their unemployment extended, tired of people saying that a kid doesn't deserve hope that has parents that work while those that parent's receive welfare get a free ride to college. Lot of things wrong with the system!!!

i think the AA community needs to hear from people like you even if they don't want to hear it. the path that many have chosen is a dead end and will eventually out of necessity be stopped.

i understand what you mean about competition in the workplace especially in today's corporate world that is more dog-eat-dog than ever. i started my own business and now the only bass tard i have to deal with is me. i still have to keep my customer's happy of course but i don't have to deal with a boss that seems to be bound and determined to keep me from it.

good luck with your endeavor's and MAKE them hear you. it is time that the "victim" mentality ends and the "winner" attitude starts.

FBT and J,
First, I appreciate the conversation had on this subject, it is one that can get a might touchy, and rightfully so. You have both managed to keep it congenial. I would like to address the fact that FBT thinks the AA community would benefit from hearing more from members like J. I submit that the EuroAmerican crowd could stand to hear from J as well. We keep dividing ourselves by race, and political affiliation, and it leads to no good. Every point J (and FBT too for that matter)has made on this thread would be beneficial for any young up and comer regardless of race. I can assure you as a member of a caucasian family I have seen my share of family members abusing the system and taking advantage of programs they really wouldn't have needed had they been willing to get off their butts and get a job. I just think it is important to note that there are people from all walks of life and every socio-economic background capable of greed, manipulation of a system, and general bad behavior.
As far as the greed J talks about in the #5 thread, I have seen much more of that than I have of food stamp abuse. My husband worked for 10 years covering the a**es of older, "entitled" employees who had made it to the circle of protection J speaks of. He is a good man, a hard working man, an intelligent man. Worthy of promotion and pay increases which were not forthcoming, that would have meant having to cut some of the "fat" from the entrenched and entitled's pie, and that certainly wasn't going to happen (for those taking notes, my husband is also caucasian, well educated, and in his early 30's). He finally had enough of it and went back to law school, but I digress. The point is, there are all sorts of ways to define, "entitlement" I just happen to be a witness of more of the type that J talks about than the kind Mr. Geiger pontificated on.

I am totally in agreement with you on everything else that you presented in your blog. I worked as a cashier at Ingles a few years ago. A lady got mad because she could not buy dog food on her EBT card and sent her daughter back to get steaks for her dog. She thought she would aggravate me by making that move. I told her that I agree with her...they should pay for dog food because dogs do not abuse the system.

Well, gosh forbid she should have a breakdown while trying to carry home her groceries paid for by gov't (read: taxpayers) foodstamps.
Don't you know that she can call a number on the TV screen and she qualifies for a cell phone provided by the gov't (again, read: taxpayers)?

i agree on the race issue. jz pointed out he was AA and i deal with the AA community quite a bit; but, you see the same attitudes in all races.

both you and jz need to keep in mind that those people you speak of were also "up and comers" at one time and have earned their place. it isn't easy to compete as an older man with youngster's. they have more stamina and are generally better educated. i learned mine on the job but they are getting theirs from the school they attended.

it's a cycle that repeats itself in the workforce and i am ok with it after witnessing it for the last 30+ years.

in my opinion, there is a world (and i mean as far as from here to mars) difference between an older person who is no longer capable of working as hard as a 20 year old and a 20 year old who has no plans to work, EVER.

Isn't it all getting just too sickening, cats? You know, as I do, what a pitiful salary our United States Military personnel receive. Yet, the free-loaders of the country want for nothing. THE FREE-LOADERS DISGUST ME!

I think this has been a good thread but the biggest difference in the govenment entitliements and the larger companies is this. Taxpayers have to foot the bill for government entitlements and will always have to as long as we have them. Most larger companies that have the old dinosaur slackers are usually union. Most other companies that have large numbers of slackers do not survive over the long haul and die a slow death. Using Delta as an example, they should have never been baled out. Better run companies would have filled the void. Unions are the reason why manufacturing has mostly went overseas. Unions are now a big problem with a lot of states. People don't vote for whats best for the country, county, or city. They vote for what will benefit them the most.

How much do you people feel you are entitled to after a days work? That depends on which part of the globe you live.
For those of you sitting back on your laptops, griping on this post about how the poor people are keeping you down.. I bet you believe you should be paid much more than your worth. Considering someone on the other side of the world would do your job for much less with a huge smile on their face and would love the pay increase it would bring them.
Poor people are not the enemy. They are not the wise wizards that you believe they are milking you out of tax dollars. LOL.
Have you taken the time to calculate exactly how much of your "hard-earned" tax dollars go to "entitlement" programs? My guess is no.
The real geniuses are the ones that are able to deflect blame from themselves and put it on those horrible poor people that are keeping you down. LOL again..

explain what makes you think I am unable to distinguish?
Do you believe ALL poor people are poor because they are lazy? I think that is part of the problem. Likewise, do you believe that ALL rich people are rich because they worked hard?
Also, just because a person is not working does not imply it is because they are lazy. There are many other factors that contribute to unemployment.
However, since you have not addressed my questions in the previous post and have resorted to name-calling, I conclude you have nothing legitimate to contribute to this discussion.

because someone who is working is entitled to earn what the market will bear. someone who is on a free ride should only get what the taxpayer is "willing" to give (not what the fed forces them to give).

funny you didn't ask why i thought you were a liberal. your first post reeks of it.

a majority are lazy? how did you come to that conclusion. how would a person begin to calculate that? sounds like a job for God.
so I guess you voted no for SPLOST? or are tax increases ok as long as the money is spent on something you approve of like wars that result in the deaths of poor people instead of providing them with food and medical coverage?
never understood conservatism...absinence only, no birth control or abortions. and after your born, pray your family isnt poor otherwise you will starve because your poor and lazy.

Don't you just love the one when the woman cannot pay for all of her food and the cashier consoles her by saying, "I understand, when I was in that shape I got the free phone until I got back on my feet." WHAT??????? She cannot buy groceries but has a cell phone?

"or are tax increases ok as long as the money is spent on something you approve of like wars that result in the deaths of poor people instead of providing them with food and medical coverage?"

(Excuse my unusual rude comment here (lol) but that is the most STUPID comment I have ever read. I have read a lot of STUPID comments and written plenty.)

So we need to feed and cure the terrorists? It seems they had adequate health, knowledge and talent to come over and take flying lessons in America to take down the Twin Towers with our own planes and kill 3,000 innocent people.

Lordy, lordy......please don't make them any healthier. Send them pigs. They love bacon.